This appeared here previously in a different context. It is not a part of my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), though I may re-use bits of it in an eventual GREM! piece about "It's My Life."
An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!
Guitar.
The late Hilton Valentine played guitar for the Animals. That means Valentine's playing was the very first thing most of us heard when we were introduced to the Animals' music: the distinctive, bluesy lick that opens "The House Of The Rising Sun," the Animals' first hit in these American colonies in the British Invasion year of 1964.
It was a traditional folk song, dating back to at least the early 1900s. The Animals rearranged it into a powerful, mesmerizing rock 'n' roll record, a ballsy move that particularly impressed Bob Dylan. The Animals' take on "The House Of The Rising Sun" was (along with the Beatles) among the key influences upon Dylan's eventual act of ignoring folk purists' ignorant catcalls of JUDAS! as he went electric himself. Animals keyboardist Alan Price took the lucrative credit for the song's arrangement--that's a rant for another day--but it had been a group effort, and a group execution. Price's swirling play propels the record, the rhythm section of bassist Chas Chandler and drummer John Steel lock into an authoritarian groove, and the incredible lead singer Eric Burdon wails like the possessed soul he is. Hilton Valentine plays guitar. He hooks you first, and keeps you hooked, bound, helpless, boarding a train for New Orleans to wear that ball and chain. The House of the Rising Sun. It's been the ruin of many a poor boy. And God, you know you're one.
I was fortunate enough to see Hilton Valentine perform on a few occasions. He came to Syracuse a couple of times to participate in BeatleCuse, a wonderful concert series captained by local musician Paul Davie. Valentine seemed friendly and easy-going, secure in his position within the history of our beloved beat music. In the early '80s, I got to see the Animals themselves--Eric, Alan, Chas, John, and Hilton--and that was a dream come true.
I've been a fan of the Animals even longer than I've been a fan of the Kinks or the Rolling Stones. As a senior in high school, I expressed my dissatisfaction with the state of pop music circa '76 and '77 by scrawling a desperate WHERE IS ERIC BURDON NOW THAT WE NEED HIM? on the underside of an office cabinet. I, Rebel. Sort of. The stated plea was for Burdon, but it was a wish for the Animals. Eric, Alan, Chas, John, and Hilton. Vocals, organ, bass, drums...and guitar. Hilton Valentine played guitar. One foot on the platform, the other foot on the train. The ruin of many a poor boy. Play it, Hilton.
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Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/
If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.
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